Abrading or polishing tool



April 23, 1940. 2,198,282

E. W. HALL ABRADING 0R POLISHING TOOL Filed April 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheetl OCQVQOQOO O OOOOOOOOOOOO o 0'- DOOOOOOOQOO 0 ea c o o o a April 23,1940. w L 2,198,282

' ABRADING 0R POLISHING TOOL Filed April 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 215206721 02 EZllciaa WHaZ Z, 21y 411%,W, Mid: vflf/iyg April 23, 1940. Iw H LL 2,198,282

' ABRADING on POLISHING TOOL Filed April 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Shet 3Iaveaaiuaw E'Zl'afia WHaZ Z, by fliigc April 23, 1940. EWW. HALL.2.198.282

ABRADING on POLISHING TOOL Filed AprilS, 193a 4 SheetsSheet 4 lawenioaEk'siaa WHaZZ, 219% J-Z,JW, M I'M Patented Apr. 23, 1940 v --UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,198,282 ABRADINGIOR rousmnc r001. Elisha w. Hall,.sca m, Mass. Application April 8, 1938, Serial No. 200,888 1 Claim.(01. 51-195 This invention relates to flexible, rotary cylinder toolsintended for abrading and polishing, although it is possible that itmight be applicable to brushing, scrubbing and general cleaning.Implements of this class are sometimes rotated at high speed, and whenthe tool is oflarge diameter so that the linear speed is high,considerable heat is generated and should be dissipated rapidly to avoidcharring of the fabric bufling or polishing material. In such cases,internal cooling of the implement can be effected by conducting air intothe implement as by a hollow shaft or by an appropriate hollow supportsecured to a solid shaft, the latter arrangement being shown herein byway of example.

In any case, air is delivered by the hollow body to spaces in or betweenbufling or polishing sections by centrifugal force, and is discharged atthe periphery of the tool. Heretofore, it has been found. difficult tomaintain these spaces when great axial pressure is applied to the wheelsections to prevent them from turning with relation to one another andto the support to which they are secured.

The present invention is concerned with a tool of this class in whichthe maintenance of spaces between the sections is assured by spacerswhose construction is such that it is practically impossible to reducethe spaces by the clamping pressure, even if the latter greatly exceedsthat which is necessary to hold the sections securely.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrating several variations of the invention, while its scope willbe pointed out more particularly in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view of a tool embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the spacers shown in section in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a second form of spacer;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5' is an elevation of a third form of spacer; and

' Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings and to the embodiments of the inventionillustrated therein by way of example, and having reference at first toFig. 1, there is shown a tool comprising a shaft or spindle 8 having ashoulder l and a reduced portion I2, the latter being threaded as usual.As already indicated, sometimes the shaft itself is hollow and has oneor more openings delivering air outwardly to the wheel sections.Sometimes the wheel structure itself is hollow and air is taken axiallyinto the wheel structure and is delivered thence to the periphery.Sometimes, also, as in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,094,650 issued to meOctober 5, 1937, the shaft or spindle itself is modified by the additionof a hollow sleeve forming no part of the wheel structure butconstituting essentially a part of the shaft or spin- 10 die and alwaysremaining attached thereto when once applied. The latter arrangement isthe one illustrated herein by way of example.

The shaft or spindle is modified by the addition of a sleeve 14 whichwhen slipped onto the reduced 15 portion l2 and secured thereto becomesa part of theresulting spindle assembly. An inner clamping plate I6 isfirst slipped onto the reduced ,portion and placed against the shoulderI0, after which the sleeve follows and is appropriately secured inplace, thus also securing the clamping plate in place. In the presentexample, there are two securing means, either of which may be employedto the exclusion of the other as in the aforesaid patent. One of thesemeans is a set screw I8 and the other is a nut 20 threaded onto thereduced portion I2 and clamping the sleeve l4 against the inner clampingplate IE and the latter against the shoulder H). An outer clamping plate22 is slippedonto the sleeve l4 and the latter is provided with a screwthread 24 to receive a nut 26 provided with spanner holes 28 by whichthe nut may be rotated to move'the outer clamping plate 22 toward theinner clamping plate it to clamp the sectional wheel assemblyhereinafter described.

The sleeve I4 presents a chamber 30 to which air is admitted by one ormore longitudinal holes 32 in the nut 20. Air thus admitted to thechamber is discharged radially through a multiplicity of holes 34provided in the sleeve l4. At the periphery of the sleeve these holesare connected by the screw thread 24 which is extended the entirelengthof the sleeve and thus insures delivcry of air at every point throughoutthe length of the sleeve and thus to every part of the wheel assemblynow to be described.

The wheel assembly comprises a plurality of wheel sections 36 ofappropriate character, the type shown by way of example being composedof a plurality of laminations 38 of fabric about a hub 40, and twocanvas anchor disks 42 secured as by adhesive to the hub and extendingbeyond the latter and overlapping the interposed plies of fabric towhich the disks are secured as by 56 stitchs 44. Preferably, the fabricplies are pleat ed to provide generally radial passages radially outwardbeyond the margins of the canvas anchor disks.

The wheel sections are spaced by novel spacers now to be described whichutilize centrifugal force to conduct air from the spindle assemblybetween the wheel sections to the periphery of the wheel. The spacersmay be of various forms, though they have one common characteristic,namely, that they are provided with internal passages and theirconstruction is such that these passages are not closed by axialpressure applied to the wheel assembly by the clamping plates and nut.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spacer comprises two plates 46each of which is provided with projections 48 directed toward the other.In this form the projections are very numerous and they are convenientlyproduced by extruding the sheet metal of which the plate is composed.The plates are so placed with relation to each other that theprojections on one engage the other plate between the projections on thelatter. Although the projections are sumciently numerous to preventcollapseof the space between the plates, they are not so numerous butwhat ample space is left between them for the passage of airoutwardlybetween the plates. In the example shown, there are additionaland somewhat larger projections 50 about the central opening 52 and theplates are slightly dished (see Fig. 1) to provide a large entrance. Tokeep the plates properly registered, they are preferably secured to eachother as by spot-welding at 54.

As a convenience in manufacture and to avoid the need of special tools,one for each size disk, to make the projections, sheet metal plates oflarge area may be prepared with projections 55 disposed as in Fig. 3 inany appropriate pattern or arrangement. Disks 58 can then be punchedfrom the large plates, the disks placed face to face (see Fig. 4) withthe projections on each facing toward the other, and with one set ofjections 68 extending toward the other, and alternating with hollow ribs10 presenting radial passages I2 (see Fig. 6) leading from an annularchamber 14 outwardly to the periphery. As shown, the disks 66 areassembled with the passages I2 of one registered with those of the otherand, if desired, this arrangement may be preserved as by spot-weldingthe disks together, but in this case registration-is not at allimportant and if desired'the passages 12 of one may register with theprojections 68 of the other. In fact, the depressions of one mayalternate with the projections of the other.

When now the tool is in operation, air is drawn into the spindleassembly by .way of the holes 32 and chamber 30 and it passes throughthe holes 34 into the screw thread 24, whence it is conducted betweenthe disks of the separators and is discharged at the peripheries of thelatter between the wheel sections 36 at a point radially outward beyondthe peripheries of the clamping plates 32. Thus, it is apparent that theclamping pressure applied 'tothe wheel assembly can- 'not reduce theamount of air passing there-'

